Distribusion Announces $80m Series C led by TQ Ventures to drive global expansion and to double down on advanced retail technology for its partners
26 September 2024
Distribusion is the global leader in ground transportation technology, operating the largest B2B ground transport marketplace and a suite of technology solutions
Distribusion’s platform connects major travel retailers like Google, Alipay, and Booking.com with carriers including Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Trenitalia, National Express, and Amtrak
The company concluded a heavily oversubscribed $80 million Series C led by TQ Ventures with super pro rata participation from existing investor Lightrock
Distribusion will use the funds to drive further global expansion and to broaden its leading suite of technology solutions for partners
Berlin, 26 September 2024: Distribusion, the world’s leading B2B ground transportation marketplace, announced its heavily oversubscribed $80 million Series C funding round led by TQ Ventures, with super pro rata participation from existing investor Lightrock. The Berlin-headquartered company will use the funds to accelerate global expansion and to invest in technology for advanced retailing capabilities for its 2,000+ carriers and retailers and the millions of travellers they serve.
Dr. Thomas Doering, CEO at Distribusion, commented: “With only 10% of the world’s population having access to private vehicles, we already see infrastructure stretched and environmental exhaustion, getting mass transport right for the future is imperative. We need to change the way we deliver mass transport. Distribusion has proven it can play a crucial role in driving accessibility worldwide”.
Distribusion is the preeminent technology company building digital infrastructure for ground transportation retailing worldwide. Ground transportation spans all scheduled mass transport from bus, rail, and ferry, to public transport. Distribusion operates globally with a presence in 70 markets, with the majority now outside Europe. Distribusion has the largest rail portfolio, covering all major European rail carriers from Deutsche Bahn and SNCF to Trenitalia,, major global players like Amtrak and Brightline in the US, and in Asia with the likes of Indonesian and Vietnam Rail.
On the distribution side, Distribusion holds established partnerships with the dominant names in travel such as Google, Booking.com, and Alipay, to name a few. With the new funding, Distribusion will continue to bring retailers, both leisure and corporate, the broadest content range at the highest technical quality, fully standardised and available via a single API or booking engine. Distribusion provides carriers with access to millions of new customers to increase sales, and the most advanced retail tooling to enable them to achieve market-beating margins through, for example, dynamic offers management and ancillaries.
Schuster Tanger, Co-Managing Partner at TQ Ventures, commented: “We have followed and greatly admired Distribusion for over two years now. Thomas and the team have built a product-first company spearheading technology innovation in ground transportation with durable competitive advantages. Distribusion is highly regarded by its partners for the value it creates. We are thrilled to provide the business with the capital to build the category champion and revolutionize ground transportation”.
Chris Steinau, Partner at Lightrock, added: “Since leading the Series B in 2022, Distribusion has executed phenomenally well, expanding to the Americas and Asia, growing tenfold and achieving cash profitability. Distribusion creates a positive environmental and social impact by promoting and making access to ground transportation easy, aligning with our mission to support purpose-driven companies tackling climate change”.
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About Distribusion
Distribusion is the leading provider of technology solutions in ground transportation. Distribusion connects thousands of bus, rail, ferry and public transport providers worldwide to a global network of travel retailers including Google, Booking.com, Alipay, Trainline and Amadeus. The largest ground transportation carriers from Amtrak, Deutsche Bahn, National Express, Comporte to Vietnam Railways already rely on Distribusion’s technology. Distribusion’s standardisation layer enables online retailers to sell tickets for any carrier through a single API, eliminating the need for individual contracts or technical efforts. Distribusion provides carriers with advanced retailing technology to increase sales and margin. Find out more at www.distribusion.com.
Distribusion is backed by leading venture capital investors including TQ Ventures, Lightrock, Creandum and Northzone, and is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
About TQ Ventures
Based in New York City, TQ Ventures is a venture capital firm led by Schuster Tanger and Andrew Marks. The firm is generally agnostic on industry vertical and geography, and instead is business model-driven and prioritizes partnering with extraordinary founders across the software complex (B2B and B2C). Across our more than 80 global investments, we believe the differentiated support and networks we provide our founders has fuelled our reputation and in turn performance record. Founded in 2018, TQ has approximately $1 billion under management and is currently investing out of its third fund.
For more information, visit: www.tqventures.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
Michael Tamburrini CFO press@distribusion.com